By VERNON ROBISON
The Progress
The Moapa Valley Town Advisory Board (MVTAB) began its annual review of budget requests to Clark County at a meeting held on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The review was for discussion only last week. But the budget request will be up for a final vote at the board’s October meeting.
MVTAB Chairwoman Lois Hall began by reading through the list of items that was sent to the county last year.
The first item on the Parks and Rec category of the list was to finish the Logandale Ballfield Complex, adding additional fields, a play area for children and a shade structure with misters for the bleachers.
Clark County liaison Will Covington told the board that this item was in the works. County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick had appropriated $27 million to the completion of the sports complex.
Next on the wish list was a number of suggested possible improvements for the Clark County Fairgrounds rodeo arena. These included bringing the arena bleachers up to ADA standards including handicapped accessible seating and covering the existing practice arena. Also requested was possible lighting.
Covington pointed out that bringing the seating area up to ADA standards had already been completed, or would be in time for the next Fair in the Spring.
Other fairground improvements included extending the existing Jr. Livestock entrance awning by six feet; installing commercial septic system to the fairgrounds and enlarging the 4-H building.
Other parks requests were to add a splash pad and a separately designated pickleball court to Logandale Park.
There was also a number of miscellaneous community requests on the lists. One of these was for a designated target shooting area with lights and maintained roads out in the BLM land east of the Fairgrounds. Another miscellaneous request was the construction of a BMX track near Moapa Valley Fire District Station #73 in Logandale. Finally, the list included a request for new chairs and storage racks at the Overton Community Center.
It was observed that the splash pad request was being included in the plans for the completion of the Ballfields complex.
There was also some uncertainty on whether the commercial septic tank at the Fairgrounds needed to be included on the list. Covington explained that County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick is working on plans to extend the Overton sewer line north from the Moapa Valley High School to the ballfield complex as part of that improvement. This would bring the line closer to eventually serving the Valley Heights development where troubles have been experienced with a package sewage treatment plant.
Hall suggested that Green Valley Grocery, which is reportedly proposing a new commercial complex on the east side of the highway from its existing store, might ought to be required to participate, with Valley Heights, in bringing the line from the sports complex to that new location.
In that case, a commercial septic installation for the fairgrounds would be unnecessary, she said.
Another debatable item on the list involved the idea of covering the Fairground Rodeo Arena. MVTAB member Brian Burris said that he was uncomfortable with that item being on the list.
“We are talking probably $10 million to $12 million to do a covered arena by the time we are done,”
Burris said. “I don’t think it is feasible and I don’t think that our neighbors could handle the property tax increases that would be required to do this. So for me, I’d be okay with that item going away.”
But MVTAB member Kristen Pearson disagreed. “I’m not okay with that one going away!” she exclaimed. “We have a big horse community here. We can’t really use the arena during the summer because it is over 120 degrees. You’re cooking people, you’re cooking horses. So, I am not in agreement with that going away. I think that there are ways: grants and other things; that we ought to be looking into for a possibility of making that happen.”
When it came time to suggest new items for the list, Lois Hall suggested there was a need for auxiliary power generators to be placed at the Community Center and at the Fairgrounds Fine Arts Building.
“After our power outage a couple of weeks ago, I think it showed that we really need generators in those locations,” Hall said. “This was not the first time, nor the last, that these places become a gathering spot for people to go in an emergency. If we had some generators there and in here, we could take care of the elderly people who need oxygen and provide lights and other needs. I think it is something we should consider.”
Burris praised Commissioner Kirkpatrick and her staff for their work on getting some of the items on the list addressed in the past year or so.
“I think there is more that has come off this list in the last year than I have ever seen come off the list before,” he said. “I think that the county and the commissioner’s office has done a good job of addressing some of these issues we have had for a long time.”
Covington reminded that the item was only up for discussion at the current meeting.
“At the next meeting we will finalize what you all would like to actually submit as far as budget requests,” Covington said.
The next meeting of the board will be held on October 12, 2022 at 7 pm in the Overton Community Center.
